Void

[31] Chaos

Chapter 31 - Chaos: A distinctive area of broken terrain.

Edmund

For a moment, I believe we haven't made it all. My surroundings consist of a familiar black that penetrates all, even myself. Stars punch through the emptiness. My heart quickens. I cannot see Earth.

Upon drinking in my surroundings I'm alerted of a discontinuity, because my bones ache and my head throbs and I feel a force pulling me down, down, down. Beneath me is something loose that clings to my skin. Above me is hot air. I reach out into what I determine is nothing, yet something sharp digs into my palms. I pull away, frightened, yet reach above once again, hesitant but curious. I push back and the sky falls away, revealing a new one.

The metal sheet that covered me bounces with a clang. I stand on weak legs and look down at it, seeing its holes from the beating it took. I look above where the sun hangs low in the true sky. The wreck of our ship stands a bit away, it's internal parts and organs scattered all the way to me, like a fresh kill. Somehow, I was ejected on our way down. I take a few steps forward, away from my seat and harness--both still in one piece--pushing my feet against the soft sand. I'm weak but otherwise unscathed.

I feel warm breath against my neck and fall back by its soft touch. When I stand to confront it, another gust blows me back onto the ground. I sink into the sand, dazed as it rushes forward again. I suddenly remember this feeling, and a smile crosses my face. I stand against the twilight, savoring the sensation of wind upon my face.

I don't realize the sense of time passing until I blink and see that the sun has fallen below the horizon. The breath of warm air has turned into an icy touch. The door to the ship I'm leaning against has grown just as cold. And something about it takes me away, takes me back in. Dragged back to the four walls, back to the chill that'll never escape my bones. The ice in Anne's hair and the fear in my reflection and the ship leaving us with a bright trail of light following it. I place my finger against the door and it dissolves completely, sending me out into the vacuum of space. I struggle against it to no avail, calling for help but my voice won't travel. Anne's still standing in the airlock, not moving. Her eyes are glazed over like a sheet of ice. Then, as if pushed by the slightest breeze, she falls away and gets lost in the black.

When I return to myself, I've dented the door and broken the skin on my knuckles. My heart's beating too quickly and my lungs can't suck in air fast enough so I sink into the sand and tell myself to breathe.

I breathe. I calm. I lean forward and empty the contents of my stomach into the sand.

A minute passes and my eyes fall upon the ship again, my only thought being to search it. Following my impulse, I run and fight this new weight of the world until I enter the gutted ship. It's in agony, twisting in upon itself, groaning and hissing its dying breaths. I hear the sounds of steady breathing, relief hitting me when I spot Oliver in a corner, head bent backward against the controls. I clear the surrounding area before shaking him by the shoulder. With nothing but the star's light to see by, I watch his eyes flicker open. I take the bright green irises staring back as a sign of good luck.

"Ow."

"Oliver?"

"Yeah." He rubs his eyes. "Rough landing?"

"Could've been worse."

"Yeah."

"Could've died."

He says nothing as his tired eyes struggle to catch light. Oliver reaches up, picking up the pieces of himself.

"What now?" He asks.